First month

After the First Threshold: What the first month reveals

One month into a new cycle of the Residential Therapeutic Community, the questions begin to shift. We move beyond intake, past the orientation period, and into something more revealing — where the structure begins to settle, and the work starts to take shape.

It is a moment I recognise. A threshold that must be crossed by the individuals who have committed to the programme, and by the team holding them through it.

Some begin to stabilise. They lean into the rhythm, into the discomfort, into the group. Others push against it or quietly begin to withdraw. Some decisions are made by the individuals themselves. Others are made collectively, with the team, when it becomes clear that the Therapeutic Community model is not the right fit for someone at this time.

None of this is easy. I carry part of that weight — the responsibility to read what is unfolding, to support the team in maintaining coherence, and to make difficult calls when the safety or direction of the group is at risk. These moments are not administrative. They are profoundly human.

Because the Therapeutic Community is not a service. It is a living process. One that requires presence, repetition, and accountability not only from the residents, but from all of us holding the frame. And while we believe in this model deeply, we also know it is not always the right container, or not yet.

This past month, we have witnessed effort, conflict, rupture, courage. We have walked with individuals showing signs of change. We have also said goodbye in a few cases, through calm but necessary decisions. We do not treat early departure as failure. We understand what this model demands, and we know that change takes time, readiness, and often, return.

For me, this first month always brings a quiet reckoning. It tests the structure. It tests the team. It tests each individual in ways they may not have expected. It is not resolution but it is truth. And that matters.

We continue to walk with those who are still here. And we continue to leave the door open, with dignity, for those who may one day return.

Because the process continues. And so do we.